堪那莉群島行/莊峻華

堪那莉群島行/莊峻華

堪那莉群島，在北非西岸外海，我們船停靠在特內里夫島之山塔˙

克魯斯港，這是堪那莉群島，人口最為眾多之西班牙領土，山塔˙

克魯斯是省會，整島人口約九十萬，我曾詢問來自當地之青年，問

到居民何以謀生？卻不曾有確切回答，但每年約有五百萬人來訪。

我的逛街，仍然是步行範圍，港口附近，街市，兵營，和花園。

港口，就是山塔克魯斯，有一西班牙廣場，種植一種鳳凰木，很像

台灣之品種，火紅花朵，羊齒綠葉，令我回憶台灣之童年，鳳凰花

開，就是驪歌時節，台灣學生畢業，準備投考學校。西班牙廣場，

有一十字架高建築，非常美麗，旁邊有一大主教堂，然後我就走到

城市中心。

市區建築在高坡地上，有電車可以搭乘，也可以上梯般，緩慢前進，

都市規劃，四四方方，都是近百年內建築，美觀大方，樓下是各式各

樣店面商號，我猜測樓上是公寓住家，建築井然有序，色彩鮮明溫和

，不覺老舊。我爬行到一路口，就看到一整排，懸掛旗幟之建築，原

來就是特內里夫西班牙陸軍基地，外表看來像是一整齊之城市大學校

園，此軍營非常著名。

我在前一年旅行西班牙，讀到西班牙內戰故事，西班牙在首次歐戰後

，已經腐敗不堪，帝國王室被推翻，新共和國為左派控制，佛蘭西斯

˙佛朗哥，在納粹德國幫助下，從此軍營返回西班牙本土，從南部軍

事叛變，掀起著名之西班牙內戰，就是此座軍營。我詢問一位軍士，

正在漆外圍牆鐵珊，我的西班牙文不甚靈活，他要我稍候，找來他的

上司，還是無解，我想問此處是否為當年佛朗哥駐地？兩人似解非解

，最後手指一方向，說是不遠有一公園內，有佛朗哥銅像。

我是找到這座公園，其實是一大花園，沒看到佛朗哥銅像，但有竹林

巨樹，太極拳俱樂部，在林蔭下練拳，更顯和諧氣氛，我心已滿意，

開始走向海港。原來我多次旅行中，遇見兩位堪那莉群島人，也在船

上步行徑中，遇見一位退伍軍人，說是美國防部在此島，經營假日旅

館，招待軍人，也開放給軍人朋友，我想到此一遊，頓覺希望有一機

會，再長遊此島，利用她敘述中之機會，大西洋和太平洋中，仍有一

些歐美屬島，保持歐美風格，均成今日觀光勝地。

Art auction on the cruise/Carlos Pueblo

Art auction on the cruise/Carlos Pueblo

There is an art gallery on almost every cruise for selling art work and I

enjoy very much to attend its auction and seminar each time when I am

on board to enrich my knowledge of art which I haven’t properly acquired

during my schooling years. For instance, the impressionist or impressionism

for its definition in order to distinguish itself from the other kinds of art work

such as realism or abstract, etc. The simplest answer is that the impressionism

contains the opinion of the artists to express on their work which is between

picture like realism and imagination of abstract, like Pablo Picasso’s work. It

works for me every time when I walk into a gallery all over the world. Art auction

on the cruise gives me such knowledge.

I like very impression art work, for example, Thomas Kinkade. an impressionist

from North California. The gallery has an exclusive right with his heirs to sell his

work on board. I asked my son, Arthur, about him and he relayed a documentary

of the public television about his notable for the mass marketing of his art work.

His north California scenery paints contain plenty of light, the sunshine, bright

room light, and street light at night, etc. He developed some kinds of technique

for seven colors to apply on the reproduction, I guessed to make a mother board

and print it. All we can purchase is the reproduction with his genuine signature

and the inventory number appeared on the duplicate work. I do think of the special

presented by the gallery lately, 5 for U.S. $2,000 plus the frame and shipping, and

I am kind of hesitated.

For the impressionist, I must mention Norman Rockwell, who has been the American

treasure for generation. I admire his paint and wish to see his work one of these days

in  my life. The gallery auctioneers always mention the kindly relationship between

Rockwell and Kinkade during their life which is become a legend of the American

currently day history. I believed that they said Rockwell let young Kinkade to paint

in his gallery.

I also like to mention my experience at Yale’s fine art museum. One year not long ago,

I walked into the museum to catch two home coming art tours with two of their Ph.D.

candidates and instructors for its collection at New Haven campus. I was so comfortable

with their presentation of several century, their religious background, because of my

knowledge of several art auction on cruises.

郵輪畫展/莊峻華

郵輪畫展/莊峻華

有畫廊在所有郵輪賣畫，拍賣庫存，廣告通知，並附在每日節目表，

先是餐廳預展，然後就是拍賣會，拍賣會有拍賣專家主持，畫廊並提

供一杯香檳酒助興，這位拍賣專家，也常舉辦畫家作品講話，拍賣前

對畫和畫家，有些介紹，我需承認，我的近代畫家認識，多半來自郵

輪畫展拍賣專家，當然，我必須感謝，兩節耶魯美術館展覽課，和一

家夏威夷茂伊島畫廊，耐心女店員，為我定義印象派，如何分辨寫實

和印象，還有一位台灣畫家，簡單定義，印象就是有參與畫家個人意

見，這些都是我有限之繪畫常識，可以放諸四海，行遍全球各地畫廊。

此畫廊與一北加州風景畫家有約，專門出售其畫，而且對此畫家，有

特殊之感情，湯瑪斯˙金傑，已經過世幾年，畫廊和其家族有契約，

專門拍賣其仿製品，就是原作品製版，有限量複製，金傑生前有專利

，可以應用到七種不同顏色，他的風水屋景，有很多陽光，晚上房屋

都是燈火通明，我很喜歡他之作品，最近，郵輪畫廊有特價機會，約

是四張畫一千美元，畫廊再添加框架運費等，我回家後請教元兒，他

說曾經在公視專輯，看過介紹金傑，深知此畫家善於商業推廣，我和

幾位船上同好，交換意見，變成航海日，繪畫拍賣餘興節目。

郵輪畫廊，也有幾張畢卡索作品，而且也提出拍賣，但均泛人問津，

我參加許多次郵輪畫展，拍賣會確實有購買者，美國人富有者，確實

有此雅興，我們家偶爾購畫，但均非昂貴者，也有人年老後，贈送一

些贈送品，搬家後，這些字畫，已經斑落不堪，無法再掛在新屋牆壁。

Two weeks at sea/Carlos Pueblo

Two weeks at sea/Carlos Pueblo

Since 2011, I have learned to enjoy traveling on cruise especially for two

weeks at sea.  Our ship would embark in Barcelona, follow closely south-

bound on Spanish Costa Blanca and pass through Gibraltar exit the

Mediterranean to the Atlantic. It was very closed to me because I was

traveling through Valencia, Alicante, and Malaga by rail and the Mediterranean

coastal ports in Italy, France, and Palma, Spanish Islands with the same ship in

the early summer of 2015. The ship would then disembark at Santa Cruz,

Tenerife offshore of North Africa and a week later to San Juan, Puerto Rico,

Continue to Port Canaveral, Florida.

I usually wake up before daybreak in my regular life. I would go up to Deck 13

Via Deck 12 Café to try my luck to see the sunrise., of course, it was depended

to the weather. The cruise staff had started their second choir of the day painting

the guard rails and stairs after washing the entire deck 13. There are swimming pools,

hot tops, basketball court, tennis court, and path for jaging and walking. The

breakfast would be opened later; however, I could get a cup of coffee and some

sweet at a special supply station on the rear. Sitting on the open air restaurant

and watching the sunrise is my first love on the cruise.

Cruises are famous for their abundant foods service. Starting with daily breakfast,

I usually would have my morning meal at the Garden Café, a cafeteria on Deck 12,

as a matter of fact for most of my meals on the cruise due to the variety of choice.

I would have a full plate of cut fruits, several pieces of bacon, grilled tomato, dry

plum, and a bowl of oat meal plus cups of coffee. Most of the time, I would find

some fellow passengers to join with.

After breakfast, I would go to walk on deck 7 for 10 laps at least to fulfill my daily

exercises. The cruise programs also provided dancing exercises and line dancing which

were even harder than walking. Thereafter, I would wonder around the ship on deck 7,

the office and shop area. Most of the bars started before lunch and music performing

at the bars in the late afternoon. I had attended several seminars for alternative medicine

and arts auction. This trip, I had been elevated to a platinum member; therefore, I had

the opportunity to go down to the ship on a behind the scene tour of the kitchen, bakery,

pantry, theater, and laundry, etc. The ship was made in Germany as most of the industry

ships were.

海上兩週生活/莊峻華

海上兩週生活/莊峻華

航行兩週於大西洋，是我外出旅行中，最為舒適之假期生活，巨型

郵輪沿著西班牙海岸南下，巴塞隆那，巴蓮西亞，亞莉坎地，瑪拉

加，直布羅陀等港近海，望遠鏡可及，均是前一年歐洲行舊遊處，

船從直布羅陀穿出地中海，直奔三日夜，到達坎那莉島，然後再橫

跨中大西洋。史詩號是艘大船，可以攜帶將近五千人，像是美國頗

具規模之鄉鎮，而且設備完善，步行樓梯電梯可及，餐廳歌廳舞廳

電影院大戲院賭場遊泳池網球場等等，應有盡有。

凌晨，我有時早起，爬上頂層甲板，期待日出，觀望日出，需要運

氣，此時已經有男性營繕船員，整理頂層，游泳池躺椅，地板早已

洗刷，像是昨夜下雨過，我可以遇到幾位同好，多半是青年女乘客

較為講究畫意。有一處自動咖啡機，已經開張，可以坐在船尾露天

餐桌，觀看巨輪疾行，冒出巨大排水浪潮，也可以坐在室內自助

餐廳，也有幾位早起者，有時候我可以找到新人聊天。

一般早餐，我多半是先回寢室，稍事整理，然後再返自助餐廳，這

時候已經開張，門口有位小姐提清潔劑，噴在乘客雙手，也有自動

取劑設備，小姐喃喃細語英文曰，洗手洗手，快樂快樂，語音有押

韻，然後就有帶位小姐，站在餐點食物櫃台前招呼，很快發現這些

小姐們，都在船上餐廳當帶位，午餐和晚餐，各自歸建，每次我都

認識幾位美麗小姐，還有各餐廳侍者經理，也前來支援，郵輪是各

大飯店，客服專業第一名。

飯後，我就開始我的慢走，一天有時後兩次，七層和十三層甲板，一

般我可以走畢十圈，步行程已經超過兩哩路，船上有乘客散步慢跑，

當然許多人到健身房運動，也有繳費之健身活動，游泳池和室内外三

溫暖等均免費。我認識兩對夫婦，均參加運動操，有船員帶領，一節

下來，均是汗流浹背，也有近代舞蹈運動，我都有興趣，而鼓不起勇

氣，因為我常隻身旅行。

郵輪節目，每晚均由房間服務，置放在室內案前，所以可以安排翌日

活動，有時候畫展，有酒會，有參觀船艙設備，有時後安排餐廳晚餐

，我因為是白金級客戶，可以有兩次牛排晚餐，而且可以攜伴參加，

也因此優待，可以一次免費洗衣服，這次兩週，我洗了兩次，有一次

是船上新識所提供。

Repositioned transatlantic cruise back home 2016/Carlos Pueblo

Repositioned transatlantic cruise back home 2016/Carlos Pueblo

Finally, I arrived to Barcelona, Spain for my transatlantic cruise back home,

of course via Ft. Canaveral, Florida. Back to March, I bought a pair of round

trip tickets from Frankfurt, Germany in June and returned in September to

utilize the credit card mileage in order to complete two European trips. Based

on my experience, I figure out that is the most economic method to use my

fund effectively, for example, I have had more than two months stay in Europe

in total and I can claim that I have known a little bit of Germany, Spain, France,

Ireland, and England, etc. I took the subway out of the airport and exit at Columbus

Square at the port, then, took an exclusive bus to the cruise terminal. I attempted

to visit another ship, the Jade, disembark along with the ship which I belonged to,

the Epic, in order to see if I could run into some whom I was with on the previous

trip. Jade was ready to embark for Tampa, Florida.

Epic is a larger ship for the cruise liner in compare with Jade which was full this time

when I booked the ticket. I have had a very good memory with the staff on the board

and always like to have another opportunity to visit with them. I did have one trip with

Epic in the spring of 2015 for the Mediterranean, Italy, France, and Palma, Majorca, Spain.

This time, the ship would be stopped at  Santa Cruz, Tenerife, Spain and San Juan, Puerto Rico

and after two weeks at sea reached the final destination, Port Canaveral, Florida. I would take

a bus south to Fort Lauderdale, Florida for another three days before returning to Houston.

I found two acquaintance on board, an Asian Indian manager and Mercy C at the CuiseNext

Department, both of them were transferred from the Jade. I lost the name card of the manager

who served at deck 12 Garden Café with Christina S whom I adored very much. Mercy is also a

very sweet and lovely; however, she had been very busy at her job to help the passengers to

make deposit for future cruise deal. I always came to her counter or desk in the office to say

hallo during the day and night. It seemed to me those visits were very pleasant time on the ship.

I also met several couples on board from different nations, Japan, Swiss, China, Hong Kong, and

my fellow Taiwanese from Florida, etc. I hope that I would describe them on my later journal.

搭船返美2016/莊峻華

搭船返美2016/莊峻華

終於抵達西班牙巴塞隆那市，我順利搭上地鐵，然後走過哥倫布

廣場搭上小巴士，抵達郵輪碼頭，此時有兩艘郵輪停泊，寶玉號

和史詩號，我搭乘寶玉號，春天從休士頓港，到到巴塞隆那，非

常愉快，認了幾位女兒，秋天重回歐洲主因，但寶玉號客滿，無

法擠進，只好退求其次，再搭史詩號，我在2015年旅行西班牙，

曾搭此輪遊覽地中海，這次返美終站是佛州卡那波爾角，奧蘭多

市外港。史詩號排長龍，於是我穿過小巷，走到寶玉號，意願遇

上舊識不果，只好悵然回來排隊。

史詩號是一巨輪，我很快認出一位寶玉號甜心，莫西小姐，她是

郵輪訂金組職員，從寶玉號調來，非常親切，而後我隨時，晨定

昏省，就是她忙碌時，也讓她知道我來問候，她和餐廳職員，不

甚熟悉，我在寶玉號，已經購買八張訂金劵，所以不敢再填置，

她也無所謂，她是記得我自薦部落格者，但未必有空閱覽捧場，

我已經非常感謝。另外一位是自助餐廳助理經理，一位印度青年

，也認出我來，讓我好像回家一般高興，此行橫跨大西洋，一共

十四日。

 郵輪將在兩處靠岸，第一次在北非外海，西屬堪那利島，和波多黎

哥島，因為航海郵輪，始有機會拜訪不同島嶼，這是難得機會，上

次寶玉號，經過邁阿密市，美屬佛今群島，和葡萄牙芳彩島，均無

重複，均是世紀海港，不同時代歷史。